Macy's suing landlord over potential Amazon billboard

Macy’s Inc. is suing its landlord over letting Amazon advertise on a billboard attached to the company’s flagship store in Herald Square in New York City. Macy’s said that Kaufman Realty Corp. was talking to a “prominent online retailer” regarding advertising on the billboard. Macy’s contract for the billboard recently expired in August. Macy’s believes the competitor is Amazon, although the online retail giant isn’t directly named in the lawsuit.

According to an agreement signed in 1963, competing retailers are barred from advertising on the billboard. The billboard is one of the most viewed billboards in all of Manhattan and has sat atop of Macy’s famed Herald flagship store for decades. Macy’s already had plans to build a multibillion-dollar skyscraper atop the store to further boost the areas already strong economy.

For nearly 60 years, Macy’s has advertised on the billboard, so much so the point where it was just assumed to belong to them. Although Macy’s lease agreement expired in August, they were already in talks with Kaufman Realty to renew advertising on the billboard.

FashionUnited has reached out to Kaufman Realty and Amazon for comment.